The other players in the Real Madrid squad who were left alone and did not belong to any obvious camp, such as van Nistelrooy, did not think too much about it. He was still looking forward to continuing the glory of his career at the Bernabéu because he felt that he would receive much more support than he did at Manchester United.
Behind him was Qin Xiong, the European king of assists for two consecutive years, and his best partner in the past, Beckham.
Beckham was very busy.
Maybe he had no time to participate in the undercurrent of the team.
During the FIFA match, he was still struggling to be dropped by McClaren and kept claiming that it was a huge mistake for the England team to reject him. He even complained to his good friend, Tom Cruise.
When the FIFA match was over, he changed his tune and claimed that he was not looking forward to returning to the national team. He just wanted to enjoy football in Spain.
During the same period, his autobiography, "Dreams Come True", was released and earned 1.5 million pounds. His celebrity wife, the Spice Girl, was also restless.
Beckham seemed to be really, really busy …
Qin Xiong did not think too much about it because the things in the team were too complicated!
He was told by Freddy not to think about the complicated things.
He just wanted to follow his heart and continue walking down this path.
It was only two days before Real Sociedad attacked.
During a training session, Capello had something to say about Qin Xiong's performance in the training match, so he called Qin Xiong to the sidelines. Qin Xiong looked at Capello as usual.
Capello seemed to have forgotten what happened at the Gerland Stadium. He put on a dignified look as usual and said to Qin Xiong, "You should increase your defensive contribution to the team and be more decisive in your judgment."
Capello had something on his mind that he did not say.
Although Qin Xiong scored two goals at the Gerland Stadium, if Qin Xiong could have restricted Juninho more effectively in that game, Real Madrid would not have conceded three goals.
That was his point of view.
But he could not say it now.
The situation in the locker room was very delicate.
Capello did not close his eyes to implement tyranny. He also had to control the mentality of the players to avoid the rebound caused by excessive pressure.
Qin Xiong looked calmly at Capello and said lightly, "Why do you keep emphasizing that I need to invest more in defense? In my opinion, there are two ways to defend. One is what you said, a tight defensive line, positive and correct fighting to block the opponent's attacks. The other is to shape the whole game with offense, so that the opponent runs back and forth on the defensive side, exhausting the team, unable to maintain a reasonable formation, tearing the team's formation, unable to organize an effective offense, and using offense instead of defense. I'm inclined towards the latter, not the former. If it's the former, Gutti might be able to do it better than me.
This was Qin Xiong's original intention, and it was also the style of football that he had molded at his most crucial age.
At least now he did not plan.
Therefore, it wasn't that he couldn't fulfill Capello's request, but that he didn't want to!
He also had his own risk assessment..
Over the past two years at Highbury, he has proved that his current style is a success.
Since it was successful, why should he change?
Change was bound to be accompanied by great risks.
If in the end he was reduced to a player who did not look like a player, where his offensive spirit was worn down and his defense was not outstanding, where should he go? Would he be abandoned in a lost state?
Capello probably did not expect Qin Xiong to say such a thing. He was speechless for a moment, but soon he said, "This team is not a place where you can do whatever you want. You have to look at the overall situation of the team."
Qin Xiong argued, "If you think Real Madrid does not have the capital to play aggressive offense, then simply play the ultimate defensive counterattack. I think I play the role of a striker well."
"Qin Xiong! I will not discuss any tactical issues with you. I'm the manager. I have the final say on this point. What you have to do is to obey the arrangements! This is Real Madrid, not Arsenal! "
Capello was obviously angered by Qin Xiong's words.
Because at least half of Arsenal's success last season was based on defensive counterattack.
Did Real Madrid have the capital to play like that by relying on two or three players to counterattack?
Of course they did!
Qin Xiong, van Nistelrooy, and Raúl were left in the front field. Beckham, who had already accumulated experience as a defensive midfielder, was used as the offensive instigator in the middle and long passes. Coupled with the support from the side, how could they not play?
But every top manager had his own tactical ideas. It was very rare to transplant other people's successful skills and tactics. In that case, they would no longer be themselves and would be at a disadvantage in the coaching circle.
Just like who did Benítez learn from?
Who did Ferguson learn from?
Who did Wenger learn from?
Would Mourinho change his coaching style again?
What about Lippi?
What about Ancelotti?
When it came to Capello himself, he had outstanding achievements and won many championships. How could he imitate others?
Hearing this, Qin Xiong shrugged and turned to leave.
It was pointless to say anything when they did not agree.
The communication between him and Capello was different from the conversation he had with the two managers in the past three years.
Whether it was Comain or Wenger, they would not use a commanding tone in the conversation.
After seeing Qin Xiong and Capello's conversation and parting on bad terms, Raúl found Qin Xiong again after the training.
They went to a coffee shop together to talk about the current situation of Real Madrid.
Compared to the last conversation where Raúl unilaterally initiated the intention of cooperation, Qin Xiong expressed his own views and requirements this time.
"I need support! The support of the team's offense! The support of the core of the front field! "
Raúl saw Qin Xiong's firm gaze and asked, "What are the specifics?"
"We want to score goals and create opportunities. I need the support of all the attacking players in the front field during the creation phase and see me as the center. As you know, I'm not a selfish player on the field. I can only say that I think this is good for the team and the whole team. As for the specifics of how to implement it, I can't explain it clearly in a few words. We need patience and time to mature. "
Raúl pondered for a moment and nodded to Qin Xiong. "I understand. I'll convince the other teammates."
When he walked out of the coffee shop, Raúl made a great decision. After taking a deep breath, he strode to his car.
He always had the consciousness of contributing to Real Madrid.
But he could not let Real Madrid lose its style. He wanted Real Madrid to move forward in the glory.
Real Madrid had no way out in terms of survival.
The only way to go was to attack.
On the contrary, the more conservative they were, the more Real Madrid's shortcomings would be exposed and the aristocratic style of Real Madrid would disappear.
The next day, Raúl had a private conversation with van Nistelrooy, Reyes, and Beckham. He expressed the hope that the team could reach a tacit understanding in the front field's offense and form a small team. The core of this team would be Qin Xiong!
This did not mean that Qin Xiong would deprive the other players of the limelight. The strikers still had to score goals as their primary goal.
They just needed to form a smooth system in the front field's offense and no longer be chaotic!
On this day, the Real Madrid team was officially divided into a small front field team with Qin Xiong as the core and another team in the middle and backfield defense led by Capello's tactical ideas.
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